I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Marked For Magic by Daisy Banks Published by Lyrical Press on April 28, 2015
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 206
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
The witch mark on Nin’s hand is a curse. She has no magic powers, whatever the lore says. But the village believes. The old crone’s wisdom is to see her banished. Ragged and hungry, she must serve the Mage. Alone in his tower, she is his chattel. But Mage Thabit is not what Nin expected—the bright green eyes and supple form under his cloak are not the stuff of nightmares, and kindness hides in his brusque heart. Thabit senses that Nin is more than she seems, too. When true nightmares haunt the land, it is precisely her elusive powers that might deliver them…
My top thoughts:
This is another one of those books that I’ve had for a very long time and just never got around to reading. And now that I’ve read it, I’m glad that I didn’t let it waste away in my TBR Pile any longer. This is a world I wouldn’t mind reading more of, for sure.
What I liked/didn’t like:
The world was one of those that combines that feeling of a pre-modern world with a magical world. The two go together really well and Daisy Banks used the two elements to create a really interesting world. I found the way magic worked fascinating and the simultaneous fear of & dependence on magic wielders well done. We’re introduced to the world through Nin, a young girl who’s been cast out of her town to live with Thabit because of the appearance of her “witch mark.”
As the book unfolds, Nin learns to wield her uniquely strong magically abilities (so yeah, a bit of that special snowflake syndrome, but not as pronounced as in many books), while also falling in love with Thabit, who has just begun to discover an ancient evil. Together they must work to save the land.
There were some moments where Thabit and Nin’s relationship disconnected me from the story – they run hot and cold quite a bit. And then there’s this mixing of sexuality with the magic that was really unexpected but also kind of worked in a deliciously sexy kind of way. So it had its ups and downs. It would be cool to read more in this world – it doesn’t appear to be a series, but I do see some characters that were setup well to have their own books, so maybe.
This is a new one to me but the premise is certainly intriguing. Two push and pull between the MC’s… eh, I don’t usually mind that as long as it doesn’t go on too long. Glad you enjoyed this one overall!
I have mixed feelings about the back and forth, but ultimately it worked out so I was okay with it.